Abstract
Aim: This study aimedto evaluate the associationsbetween intestinal permeability andzonulin (ZO) levels and preterm premature membrane rupture (PPROM) in patients.
Methods: A total of 44 pregnant women, 22 with PPROM and 22 in the control group, were included in this prospective case‒controlstudy. Venousblood samples and umbilical cord blood samples were taken from all participants after delivery. The blood samples were centrifuged at 3000 RPM for 10 minutes and stored at -80°C until biochemical analysis.
Results: The median gestational age at delivery was 34 weeks (24-36 weeks). The median maternal blood ZO level (99.1 ng/mL [67.5-307.5] vs. 95.6 ng/mL [65.7-320.0], p = 0.925) and the cord blood ZO level (81.9 ng/mL [30.9-271.3] vs. 76.9 ng/mL [44.1-314.8], p = 0.681) were not different between the PPROM group and the control group. The demographic and clinical data revealeda significant correlation between maternal and fetal cord ZO levels and newborn birthweight in the PPROM group (r=0.607, p=0.003; r=0.617, p=0.002, respectively). A strong positive correlation was also found between the ZO levels in maternal serum (r: 0.837, p <0.001) and fetal cord blood (r: 0.944, p <0.001).
Conclusion: No significant difference inmaternal serum/umbilical cord blood zonulin levels was detected between PPROM patientsand control patients. However, a positive correlation was found between newborn birthweight and maternal serum zonulin levels, as well as umbilical cord levels. In the PPROM patients, there was a positive correlation between maternal serum and fetal cord zonulin levels in all patients.